Résumé highlights: One could look at the success of Prentice Penny and attribute it solely to the success of HBO’s “Insecure,” where he serves as the hit comedy’s showrunner. Such an assertion, however, would be greatly misplaced as Penny has long been a go-to creative for Hollywood, having secured writing credits for Fox’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” ABC’s “Happy Endings,” and UPN’s comedy “Girlfriends.”

The mindset: “I believe it’s good to have a healthy amount of fear in your creative process, and I try to use it to my benefit. The type of fear that I’m referring to challenges you and pushes you out of your comfort zone to accomplish things you never knew were possible. I’ve tried my best to never become paralyzed by the fear that I’m not good enough. It used to paralyze me to the point where I was scared to let people see my writing. But my wife reminded me to just quiet those voices and trust in my talent. I’m glad I did.”